Chris Wood nets winner as Nottingham Forest beat Ipswich

By Mark Walker, PA

Chris Wood’s second-half penalty was decisive as Nottingham Forest returned to winning ways with a 1-0 home Premier League victory over Ipswich.

Wood maintained his impressive goalscoring form this season by emphatically converting from the spot soon after the interval to lift Forest up to sixth in the table.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s high-flyers had climbed up to third at the start of this month before back-to-back defeats to Newcastle and Arsenal halted their eye-catching rise.

Ipswich, who have not won at the City Ground since 1999, rarely threatened in a game of few clear-cut scoring chances and remain in the bottom three after their sixth top-flight defeat of the season.

Kieran McKenna’s side were unable to build on their own recent progress, having followed up their first league win of the campaign at Tottenham by holding Manchester United 1-1 last week at Portman Road.

Forest made a fast start as Morgan Gibbs-White headed a corner off target and Neco Williams’ low goal-bound drive was deflected wide by Ipswich forward Sammie Szmodics.

Ipswich threatened for the first time in the 24th minute having settled into the contest, with a header from defender Cameron Burgess hacked clear off the goal-line by Ola Aina.

Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels was forced into a fine low save soon after from Omari Hutchinson’s low angled effort, while at the other end, Williams curled his free-kick narrowly wide.

Entertainment in the first half was in short supply, but that changed four minutes after the restart.

Szmodics clipped Jota Silva’s ankle in the box and after referee Tony Harrington’s decision to award a penalty had been ratified by VAR, Wood lashed his ninth league goal of the season into the roof of the net.

Forest were denied a second soon after by Ipswich goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, who brilliantly tipped Murillo’s header on to the crossbar following Silva’s hooked cross.

Ipswich substitute Jack Clarke wasted a golden chance for an equaliser when he fired straight at Sels from inside the area.

Both managers made a string of changes in the final quarter, which ensured a stop-start game became even more disted and although the visitors gamely chased an equaliser, Sels was never seriously tested.